Indian student charged with fraud to return under plea deal

New York, August 4
A 19-year-old Indian student, who was arrested and charged with falsifying records to gain admission in a US university, will have to return to India under a plea deal with American authorities.
Aryan Anand had submitted fake and falsified documents to secure admission into Lehigh University, a private research university in Pennsylvania for the 2023-2024 academic year.
A report in the Lehigh University’s student newspaper ‘The Brown and White’, said last month that a police investigation had found that Anand had falsified admission and financial aid documents. He had even “faked his father’s death” as part of the conspiracy to obtain admission and scholarship, it said.
Anand was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Jordan Knisley on June 12, with a bail of USD 25,000. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery. As part of the deal, Anand is required to return to India and Lehigh chose not to seek restitution of about USD 85,000. — PTI